Preseason Capsule; University of Georgia
Game 5 (September 27th, 2008)
Sanford Stadium (92,746)
Athens, GA
Time: TBA
2007 result: Georgia 26 Alabama 23 (OT)
Quick Hits:
2007 record: 11-2
SEC: 6-2
Sugar Bowl: Georgia 41 Hawaii 10
Head Coach: Mark Richt, 8th year, 72-19
Offensive Coordinator: Mike Bobo (2nd year)
Defensive Coordinator: Willie Martinez (4th year)
Key Starters Returning:
Matthew Stafford QB JR (Comp. 194 Att 348, 2523 yards, TDs 19, QB Eff. 128.92)
Knowshon Moreno RB SO (Att. 248, Yds. net 1334, TDs 14, Avg. 5.2)
Mohamed Massaquoi WR SR (Rec. 32, Yds. 491, TDs 4, Avg. 15.3)
Dannell Ellerbe MLB SR (Solo 63, Asst. 30, Total 93)
Preview
by bamafan4ever
Tough Schedule
Lofty expectations are nothing new in Athens, GA, but rarely have expectations exceeded those that have been heaped upon the 2008 version of the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia fans and the local Georgia media are not doing much to diminish these expectations either and it almost came as a shock when the media covering the SEC meetings in Hoover, AL, chose the Florida Gators and incumbent Heisman winner Tim Tebow to win the SEC East divisional title. For the Bulldogs to make it to Atlanta this December, they will need to overcome, quite possibly, one of the toughest schedules in the SEC. The Bulldogs have their usual slate of SEC Eastern opponents but will also have to face, arguably, the three toughest teams in the SEC West in Alabama, Auburn and LSU. Add to that, the Bulldogs will travel to sunny Tempe, AZ, on September 20th for a showdown with Dennis Erickson and his Arizona State Sun Devils. The Bulldogs will culminate their regular season when they play host to their in-state rivals, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on November 29th.
Coach Mark Richt/photo courtesy of USA Today
Off-season issues
Coach Mark Richt has had his share of off field issues to address since the Sugar Bowl and the status of several players have now been addressed. Two offensive linemen, Trinton Sturdivant (SO) and Justin Anderson (FR) will not receive suspensions after being arrested on misdemeanor battery charges in June. Both players were charged for touching the stomach of a pregnant woman and Coach Richt will handle their punishment in-house. Reserve FB Fred Munzenmaier will miss a total of two games and 2nd string FS Donavon Baldwin (SO) will miss one game due to charges related to alcohol. Weapon charges against DE Jeremy Lomax have been dropped and he will play without a suspension. Starting OG Clint Boling (SO) will miss games against Georgia Southern and Central Michigan because of a DUI in May. The most severe punishment was given to 2nd string DE Michael Lemon following a felony battery charge where the victim suffered a broken eye socket. Lemon was summarily dismissed from the team by Coach Richt.
QB #7 Matthew Stafford/photo courtesy of collegepublisher.com
Reasons for optimism and maybe much, much more
The Bulldog Nation has every reason in the world to be excited about the upcoming season even if it is tempered somewhat by a brutal stretch on their schedule in mid September that lasts until mid October that includes games with old nemesis Steve Spurrier and South Carolina (Sept. 13th), a rare visit west of the Mississippi against Arizona St. (Sept. 20th) and a visit from Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide who took the Bulldogs to OT in 2007 (Sept. 27th). The Bulldogs will then get a bye week before facing the Tennessee Volunteers (Oct. 11th) who routed the Bulldogs 35-14 in Knoxville last season. Some will surmise that the Bulldogs have a schedule in place that, if handled well, will propel them into the National Title picture in 2008 and they shouldn't have the same problem Auburn faced in 2004 when the Tigers scheduled such lightweights as Ball State, which went a long way to hold them out of the National Title Game despite going undefeated.
Returning in 2008 is strong-armed Matthew Stafford who's playing ability has captured the attention of many NFL scouts and even though he is only a Junior, a good season by Stafford may make him a very high draft choice in 2009 which will, of course, end his UGA career. Stafford is a dangerous pocket passer and when given time to assess the defense with decent protection, can be lethal like he was when the Bulldogs defeated Alabama in OT in Tuscaloosa last season. The Georgia offensive line is still young but have now all been battle-tested and will likely show even more improvement this season.
RB Knowshon Moreno #24/photo courtesy of the seattletimes.com
Sharing the backfield with Stafford is the electric RB, Knowshon Moreno. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has promised to use multiple sets and backfield variations to get Caleb King involved with the offense as well. King, a 212 lb. redshirt FR was a highly coveted recruit who was allowed to develop one more season before sharing the field with Moreno and many observers speculate he could be just as good, if not better, than Moreno. That's a scary thought for many SEC defensive coordinators. This could be the best RB tandem in the SEC this season. WR Mohamed Massaquoi returns for his SR campaign and will likely be Stafford's primary target. Massaquoi has speed and ability but some have questioned his focus. The Bulldogs have also added depth to its receiving corp with the recruitment of true freshman AJ Green, who was ranked just behind Julio Jones of Alabama as the nation's second best receiver coming out of high school. The 6ft 4in wide out runs the 40 in a reported 4.5 seconds and runs excellent routes. Look for Green to make an immediate impact on the Bulldog landscape this season. Green has drawn constant praise from his Bulldog team mates during summer workouts.
#56 Geno Atkins/photo courtesy of lindyshoots.com
The spoils of talent that Georgia fans will enjoy this year does not end on the offensive side of the ball. Georgia will return many of the players that rendered the potent Hawaii Warriors offense impotent in the Sugar Bowl last season and after a shaky start in 2007, the Bulldog defense went a long way in helping the Bulldogs win its last seven games. The defensive line will be anchored by SR Geno Atkins who tallied 7.5 sacks his junior year. With the departure of sack specialist Marcus Howard, the Bulldogs will look to Atkins to step up his pressure on opposing QBs to go along with his excellent run defense. CB Asher Allen returns as the Bulldogs number one corner where he picked off 3 passes for the Bulldogs in 2007. Depth at LB was helped with the recruitment of DeAngelo Tyson, who is being converted from his high school position of DT. The Statesboro native could have an immediate impact for the Bulldogs.
For the first time in memory, the biggest question mark on this Georgia football team could very well be place kicking. Brandon Coutu will now be playing on Sundays and UGA very well may be in the position of starting a true Freshman, Blair Walsh. Walsh had a stellar high school career in Fort Lauderdale, FL where he registered a 59 yard field goal. He has also impressed his fellow UGA team mates with his ability since enrolling in February but how that translates into performing in front of 90,000 plus screaming college fans will be determined in the near future.
Final Analysis
It will be interesting to see how well the Bulldogs handle all of the preseason accolades in 2008. Many expect the Bulldogs to be a preseason #1 pick when the polls are released and no worse than #3. The showdown on November 1st with the Florida Gators promises to be one of the most important games in deciding the SEC East and possibly the national champion in 2008.
Final Score Prediction:
Georgia 27 Alabama 24
